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All opinions are subject to modification and technical correction prior to official publication in the North Carolina Reports and North Carolina Court of Appeals Reports. In the event of discrepancies between the electronic version of an opinion and the
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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA v. GERARDO COLEMAN
NO. COA02-1644
Filed: 18 November 2003
1. Jury--deliberations_-jury's note--juror not following law
The trial court did not err in an armed robbery and felony murder case by failing to make
further inquiry on the second day of jury deliberation after receiving a note from the jury alleging
that one juror was not following the law and requesting that the juror at issue be replaced,
because: (1) the trial court informed the jury that the juror could not be replaced and instructed
the jury as to its duty to follow the law; (2) defendant did not object to the trial court's instruction
to the jury regarding the jury's note, did not request a mistrial, and did not ask the court to make
an inquiry; (3) defendant opposed the State's suggestion that an alternate juror be seated to
replace the challenged juror; and (4) it was within the discretion of the trial court to determine
whether an inquiry was necessitated by the note from the jury, and there was no obligation to
investigate further based on the ambiguity of the note's allegation and the corrective measure
taken by the trial court in its subsequent instruction.
2. Constitutional Law--right to be present at trial--bailiff sent to admonish absent
juror
The trial court did not violate defendant's right to be present at his capital trial when it
sent a bailiff to admonish an absent juror not to discuss the case with anyone while court was in
recess, because: (1) while a bailiff may not attempt to instruct jurors as to the law, a simple
reminder to the jurors that they are to abide by the court's earlier instructions should not be
considered an instruction as to law; (2) the communications did not relate to defendant's guilt or
innocence, nor would defendant's presence be helpful to his defense; and (3) it is assumed the
bailiff limited her instruction to the juror as directed by the trial court.
3. Homicide--felony murder--motion to dismiss--sufficiency of evidence
The trial court did not err by denying defendant's motion to dismiss the charge of felony
murder based on armed robbery, because: (1) felony murder based on armed robbery does not
depend on whether the intent to commit the taking of property was formed before or after the
killing; and (2) based on the evidence, a reasonable juror could infer that the killing and the
robbery were part of a single transaction.
4. Homicide--first-degree murder_-failure to instruct on lesser-included offense of
involuntary manslaughter
The trial court did not err by denying defendant's request to instruct on involuntary
manslaughter as a lesser-included offense of first-degree murder, because: (1) the trial court
instructed on second-degree murder; and (2) the jury's verdict of first-degree murder based on
felony murder indicated the jury was not coerced into a verdict when it could have convicted
defendant on the lesser charge of second-degree murder.
5. Constitutional Law--double jeopardy--felony murder_-failure to arrest judgment on
armed robbery charges
The trial court did not violate defendant's double jeopardy rights by arresting judgment
on only the conviction for attempted armed robbery and by entering judgment on the three armedrobbery convictions in addition to first-degree murder, because: (1) in this instance where no
specific underlying felony was noted in the jury instructions on felony murder, and there are
multiple felony convictions which could serve as the underlying felony for purposes of the felony
murder conviction, it is in the discretion of the trial court as to which felony will serve as the
underlying felony for purposes of sentencing; and (2) armed robbery and attempted armed
robbery are both classified as Class D felonies for purposes of sentencing.
6. Homicide--first-degree murder--short-form indictment--constitutionality
The short-form indictment used to charge defendant with first-degree murder was
sufficient.
Appeal by defendant from judgment dated 10 April 2002 by Judge
F. Donald Bridges in Superior Court, Gaston County. Heard in the
Court of Appeals 18 September 2003.
Attorney General Roy Cooper, by Special Deputy Attorney
General Edwin W. Welch, for the State.
Office of the Appellate Defender, by Assistant Appellate
Defender Anne M. Gomez, for defendant-appellant.
McGEE, Judge.
Timothy M. Lollis (Lollis), John D. Mason (Mason), Karl L.
Gacusana (Gacusana), R. Chad Melton (Melton), and David C. Gregg
(Gregg) were together on the night of 5 September 1999 at an
apartment leased by Lollis and Gregg in Belmont, North Carolina.
Preston Wells (Wells) telephoned Gregg to say that he would be
coming over with his girlfriend, Beth Nelson (Nelson). Gregg
called Penny Riggan (Riggan) and told her Wells and Nelson were
coming. Gregg was aware that Riggan and Nelson did not like each
other.
Riggan arrived at the apartment, followed by Wells and Nelson.
Everyone sat in the living room and when Wells left to use therestroom, Riggan started hitting Nelson, causing a knot to develop
under Nelson's eye. Riggan continued to beat Nelson until Wells
returned and broke up the fight. Wells, Nelson, and Riggan left
the apartment. Wells called Gregg about twenty minutes later and
asked whether the fight had been planned. Gregg informed Wells
that there had been no plan.
After leaving the apartment, Nelson told Mary Suzanne Jackson
(Jackson), who lived with Gerardo Coleman (defendant), about her
altercation with Riggan. Jackson and Nelson agreed to "settle the
score" and "rough up Riggan." Jackson brought along a tire iron in
the event the "boys wanted to get in on it." Nelson, Jackson,
Wells and defendant drove back to the apartment at about 11:00 p.m.
Nelson and Jackson entered the apartment and asked for Riggan.
Lollis, Melton, Gregg, Gacusana and Mason were sitting in the
living room. Defendant entered the apartment, armed with a
shotgun, chambered a round of ammunition and pointed the shotgun at
Lollis. Defendant said, "You all ----ed up, you all are going to
die tonight." Everyone was ordered to get on the floor, empty
their pockets and place their money on the table.
Melton refused to remove his necklace and defendant hit him in
the head with the shotgun. Lollis and Melton removed their
watches, Gacusana and Mason placed money on the floor and coffee
table, and Gregg put his wallet on the coffee table. Jackson
snatched off Gacusana's and Melton's chain necklaces. Defendant
put the shotgun to Gacusana's face and Gacusana handed over his
bracelet. Jackson and Nelson collected the jewelry and money. Jackson and Nelson began arguing with Gregg about the fight
with Riggan. Jackson was standing in front of and to the left of
defendant, Riggan was standing in front of and to the right of
defendant. Jackson swung the tire iron at Gregg. Gregg rose up,
lifted his arms and leg in the air, moved his head back, and leaned
back against the wall. Defendant raised his shotgun and fatally
shot Gregg in the head. Defendant, Nelson, and Jackson left the
apartment and got into Wells's car. Melton fired at the car
several times with a shotgun.
Early the following morning, Gaston County police officers
took statements from Gacusana, Mason, Melton, and Lollis. The
police officers located a tire iron in the front yard of the
apartment building and two Federal high-power, twelve-gauge shotgun
casings along the road in front of the apartment, which were from
a shotgun found in the apartment.
After locating Wells's car in the parking lot outside
Jackson's apartment, the Gaston County police towed the car to the
Gaston County Police Department. Gaston County police officers
obtained a warrant for Jackson's arrest on the morning of 7
September 2002. In cooperation with the Charlotte-Mecklenberg
Police Department, the Gaston County police approached Jackson's
apartment. Defendant and Jackson walked out but immediately
retreated to the apartment and closed the door. No one responded
when police knocked on the door. When a SWAT team arrived an hour
later, Jackson and defendant surrendered. Jackson consented to a
search of her apartment and police found four unfired shotgunshells, some wet clothing and the chain necklaces stolen from
Gacusana and Melton. Forensic analyses found no blood on any
clothing. Defendant gave two written, signed statements to the
police. In the first statement, defendant denied having anything
to do with the robbery and murder. Police Major Johnny Phillips
(Major Phillips) untruthfully told defendant that Jackson had told
police that defendant had accidently shot someone. Major Phillips
asked defendant to show him how he had held the shotgun and
defendant complied by placing one hand slightly below his waist and
the other extended out. In his second statement, defendant stated
he could not recall pulling the trigger, but that he had walked
towards Gregg and Gregg had kicked the shotgun, causing it to go
off.
Officer B.F. Harris of the Gaston County Police Department
testified that the burn mark on Gregg's head indicated that the
shotgun was within inches of Gregg when it was fired. At trial,
Lollis, Mason, Gacusana, and Melton identified defendant as the
shooter.
Defendant was convicted of three counts of armed robbery and
one count of felony murder. The trial court arrested judgment on
defendant's conviction for attempted armed robbery in accordance
with the doctrine of felony murder. Defendant appeals.
I.
[1] Defendant first assigns error to the trial court's
decision on the second day of jury deliberation not to make further
inquiry after receiving a note from the jury alleging that onejuror was "not following the law." There was no additional
elaboration in the jury's note as to juror misconduct except a
request that the juror at issue be replaced. In response to the
note, the trial court informed the jury that a juror could not be
replaced and instructed the jury as to its duty to follow the law.
The record does not show that defendant objected to the trial
court's instruction to the jury regarding the jury's note. At the
close of the instruction, defendant stated, "I don't have any
objection to what the Court instructed." Defendant failed to
request a mistrial or to ask the trial court to make an inquiry.
Defendant even opposed the State's suggestion that an alternate
juror be seated to replace the challenged juror. Defendant
therefore failed to properly preserve this issue for appellate
review. Nonetheless, this Court exercises its discretion to
consider the merits of defendant's argument pursuant to N.C.R. App.
P. 2.
"The determination of the existence and effect of jury
misconduct is primarily for the trial court whose decision will be
given great weight on appeal." State v. Bonney, 329 N.C. 61, 83,
405 S.E.2d 145, 158 (1991). An inquiry by the trial court is
generally only required where there is an indication that some
prejudicial conduct has taken place. State v. Barnes, 345 N.C.
184, 226, 481 S.E.2d 44, 67, cert. denied, 522 U.S. 876, 139 L. Ed.
2d 134 (1997), cert. denied, 523 U.S. 1024, 140 L. Ed. 2d 473
(1998). To warrant an investigation, "the circumstances must be
such as not merely to put suspicion on the verdict, because therewas an opportunity and a chance for misconduct, but that there was
in fact misconduct. When there is merely matter of suspicion" it
is a decision left to the trial court's discretion. State v.
Aldridge, 139 N.C. App. 706, 713, 534 S.E.2d 629, 634, disc.
denied, 353 N.C. 269, 546 S.E.2d 114 (2000) (quoting State v.
Johnson, 295 N.C. 227, 234-35, 244 S.E.2d 391, 396 (1978)); see
also, State v. Murillo, 349 N.C. 573, 599-600, 509 S.E.2d 752, 767
(1998), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 838, 145 L. Ed. 2d 87 (1999) (there
is no absolute affirmative duty to investigate juror misconduct
absent a report of prejudicial conduct). The trial court's ruling
on juror misconduct will only be reversed upon clear abuse of
discretion. Aldridge, 139 N.C. App. at 713, 534 S.E.2d at 634
(trial court did not abuse its discretion in failing to further
inquire into jury misconduct where the allegation was based on one
anonymous telephone call).
In the case before us, it was within the discretion of the
trial court to determine whether an inquiry was necessitated by the
note from the jury. Based on the ambiguity of the note's
allegation and the corrective measure taken by the trial court in
its subsequent instruction, there was no obligation to investigate
further. Accordingly, we overrule defendant's assignment of error.
II.
[2] The second day of jury deliberations began at 9:30 a.m.
and by 12:30 p.m., a juror had informed the trial court that, due
to a personal problem, she would be unable to return to the
courtroom until later that afternoon. The trial court so informedthe parties and released them for lunch, after admonishing the
jurors not to discuss the case with anyone. The State and
defendant stated they had no preference as to whether the trial
judge similarly personally admonished the absent juror or had the
bailiff remind the juror. The trial court had the bailiff do so.
The record fails to indicate whether defendant, defendant's
counsel, or the court reporter was present for the admonitions
given by the bailiff. Defendant argues that the trial court
violated his right to be present at his capital trial, when it sent
a bailiff to admonish the juror.
Under the Confrontation Clause in Article I, Section 23 of the
North Carolina Constitution, an accused is guaranteed the right to
be present at each and every stage of his capital trial and this
right extends to "all times during the trial when anything is said
or done which materially affects defendant as to the charge against
him." State v. Chapman, 342 N.C. 330, 337-38, 464 S.E.2d 661, 665
(1995), cert. denied, 518 U.S. 1023, 135 L. Ed. 2d 1077 (1996); see
also, U.S. Const. amend. IV. However,
while a bailiff certainly may not attempt to
instruct jurors as to the law, a simple
reminder by the bailiff to the jurors that
they are to abide by the court's earlier
instructions should not be considered an
instruction as to law. Communications such as
these do not relate to defendant's guilt or
innocence. The subject matter of these
communications in no way implicates
defendant's confrontation rights, nor would
defendant's presence have been useful to his
defense.
State v. Gay, 334 N.C. 467, 482, 434 S.E.2d 840, 848 (1993) (no
reversible error where the trial court had the bailiff instruct thejury to continue to abide by his earlier instructions during a
break). In the case before us, the trial court had previously
admonished the jury on several occasions not to discuss the case
with each other or with anyone else.
Defendant alleges that because no record exists as to the
bailiff's conversation with the absent juror, this Court is unable
to conduct a proper review of the issue. Our Supreme Court stated
in May that where a bailiff was instructed to inform the jury they
could recess, "without anything in the record to show something
else happened, we will assume the bailiff followed the court's
instructions." State v. May, 334 N.C. 609, 615, 434 S.E.2d 180,
183 (1993), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 1198, 127 L. Ed. 2d 661 (1994)
(assuming bailiff followed trial court's instruction to inform jury
they were free to leave for a break), State v. Golphin, 352 N.C.
364, 533 S.E.2d 168 (2000), cert. denied, 532 U.S. 931, 149 L. Ed.
2d 305 (2001) (assuming the clerk limited any conversation to
administrative and logistical matters). Although the better
practice is for the trial court to issue admonitions itself, as our
Supreme Court stated in May, "[i]t would impose a heavy burden on
our courts if a court reporter were required to accompany a bailiff
every time he is with a jury in order to make a record of what was
said." May, 334 N.C. at 615, 434 S.E.2d at 183.
Because we assume the bailiff limited her instruction to the
juror as directed by the trial court and such communications do not
relate to defendant's guilt or innocence, nor would they be helpful
to his defense, we find no violation of defendant's constitutionalrights. These assignments of error are overruled.
III.
[3] Defendant next argues that the trial court erred by
failing to grant defendant's motion to dismiss the felony murder
charge. Defendant argues that the State presented insufficient
evidence that Gregg's death occurred in the perpetration or
attempted perpetration of a felony.
"A murder which shall be . . . committed in the perpetration
or attempted perpetration of any . . . robbery . . . shall be
deemed to be murder in the first degree." N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-17
(2001). "In felony murder, the killing may, but need not, be
intentional. There must, however, be an unbroken chain of events
leading from the attempted felony 'to the act causing death, so
that the homicide is part of a series of events forming one
continuous transaction.'" State v. Gibbs, 335 N.C. 1, 51-52, 436
S.E.2d 321, 350 (1993), cert. denied, 512 U.S. 1246, 129 L. Ed. 2d
881 (1994) (quoting State v. Shrader, 290 N.C. 253, 261, 225 S.E.2d
522, 528 (1976)). "The evidence is sufficient to support a charge
of felony murder based on the underlying offense of armed robbery
where the jury may reasonably infer that the killing and the taking
of the victim's property were part of one continuous chain of
events." State v. Handy, 331 N.C. 515, 529, 419 S.E.2d 545, 552
(1992). Felony murder based on armed robbery does not depend on
whether the intent to commit the taking of property was formed
before or after the killing. Id.
When considering a motion to dismiss on the grounds ofinsufficiency of the State's evidence, the trial court must
determine whether there is substantial evidence of each element of
the offense and that defendant committed that offense. State v.
Irwin, 304 N.C. 93, 97, 282 S.E.2d 439, 443 (1981). All evidence
is to be considered in the light most favorable to the State and
all reasonable inferences are to be drawn therefrom. Id. at 98,
282 S.E.2d at 443. Where there is a reasonable inference of
defendant's guilt from the evidence, the jury must decide whether
that evidence "convinces them beyond a reasonable doubt of
defendant's guilt." Id.
The evidence presented by the State in this case showed that
defendant entered the apartment armed with a loaded shotgun,
chambered a round of ammunition, verbally threatened the occupants
with death, hit Melton in the head to coerce surrender of his
property, aimed the shotgun at the occupants, and shot Gregg in the
head at close range while Gregg was involved in a confrontation
with one of the robbers. Based on this evidence, a reasonable
juror could infer that the killing and the robbery were part of a
single transaction, supporting the felony murder charge. The trial
court did not err in denying defendant's motion to dismiss.
Defendant's assignment of error is overruled.
IV.
[4] During the jury instruction conference, defendant
requested that both second degree murder and involuntary
manslaughter be submitted to the jury as lesser included offenses
of first degree murder, which the trial court denied. Defendantassigns error to the trial court's failure to instruct the jury as
to involuntary manslaughter and contends his constitutional rights
were violated under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution and under Article I, Section 19 of the North Carolina
Constitution, as well as North Carolina common and statutory law.
The trial court instructed the jury it could find defendant
guilty of (1) first degree murder, based on both the theory of
felony murder and/or premeditated murder, (2) second degree murder,
or (3) not guilty. The jury convicted defendant of first degree
murder based on felony murder but not on the grounds of
premeditation and deliberation.
The law is well settled that "'a defendant is entitled to have
all lesser degrees of offenses supported by the evidence submitted
to the jury as possible alternative verdicts.'" State v. Millsaps,
356 N.C. 556, 562, 572 S.E.2d 767, 772 (2002) (quoting State v.
Drumgold, 297 N.C. 267, 271, 254 S.E.2d 531, 533 (1979)). However,
the trial court is not required to "submit lesser included degrees
of a crime to the jury 'when the State's evidence is positive as to
each and every element of the crime charged and there is no
conflicting evidence relating to any element of the charged
crime.'" Id. (quoting Drumgold, 297 N.C. at 271, 254 S.E.2d at
533) (emphasis in original).
In instances where a trial court has submitted to the jury the
possible verdicts of first degree murder based on premeditation and
deliberation, second degree murder, and not guilty, our Supreme
Court has adopted the rule that . . . a verdict of
first-degree murder based on premeditation and
deliberation renders harmless the trial
court's improper failure to submit voluntary
or involuntary manslaughter.
State v. Price, 344 N.C. 583, 590, 476 S.E.2d 317, 321 (1996). The
Court further stated that
"A verdict of murder in the first degree shows
clearly that the jurors were not coerced, for
they had the right to convict in the second
degree. That they did not indicates their
certainty of [the defendant's] guilt of the
greater offense. The failure to instruct them
that they could convict of manslaughter
therefore could not have harmed the
defendant."
Id. at 590-91, 476 S.E.2d at 321 (quoting State v. Judge, 308 N.C.
658, 664-65, 303 S.E.2d 817, 821-22 (1983)). As noted in Price,
this rationale is rooted in the United States Supreme Court's
concern in Keeble v. United States, 412 U.S. 205, 36 L. Ed. 2d 844
(1973), that a jury should not be coerced into a verdict because
there was no lesser included offense submitted to the jury which
better fit the evidence. Id.; see also, Schad v. Arizona, 501 U.S.
624, 115 L. Ed. 2d 555, reh'g denied, 501 U.S. 1277, 115 L. Ed. 2d
1109 (1991).
We find that the reasoning of our Supreme Court in Price
applicable in the case before us. The jury's verdict of first
degree murder based on felony murder indicates the jury was not
coerced, since they could have convicted defendant on the lesser
charge of second degree murder. Therefore, the failure to instruct
the jury on involuntary manslaughter did not harm defendant.
Defendant's assignment of error is without merit.
V.
[5] Defendant asserts that the trial court erred in arresting
judgment on only the conviction for attempted armed robbery and in
entering judgment on the three armed robbery convictions, in
addition to first degree murder.
In accordance with the state and federal prohibitions against
double jeopardy, our Supreme Court firmly established that "a
defendant may not be punished both for felony murder and for the
underlying, 'predicate' felony, even in a single prosecution."
State v. Gardner, 315 N.C. 444, 460, 340 S.E.2d 701, 712 (1986).
The underlying felony supporting the felony murder conviction
effectively merges into the first degree murder conviction and any
judgment on the underlying felony must be arrested. State v.
Barlowe, 337 N.C. 371, 446 S.E.2d 352 (1994).
Defendant failed to object at trial to the trial court's
decision to arrest judgment on only the attempted armed robbery
verdict.
By failing to move in the trial court to
arrest judgment on either conviction or
otherwise to object to the convictions or
sentences on double jeopardy grounds,
defendant has waived his right to raise this
issue on appeal.
State v. McLaughlin, 321 N.C. 267, 272, 362 S.E.2d 280, 283 (1987).
Although the issue was not properly preserved, we consider the
merits of defendant's argument pursuant to N.C.R. App. P. 2.
Defendant contends that the trial court's instructions on
felony murder failed to specify which armed robbery or attempted
armed robbery served as the underlying felony for a possible felonymurder conviction. Defendant thus argues that because the jury
could have used any of the armed robbery convictions or the
attempted armed robbery conviction as the basis for finding him
guilty of felony murder, the trial court should have arrested
judgment on all the convictions that could have served as the basis
for the felony murder conviction.
We agree with defendant that the trial court's instructions to
the jury were ambiguous as to what underlying felony formed the
basis of the felony murder charge. Furthermore, we cannot
determine if the jury was unanimous in which felony served as the
underlying felony for purposes of the felony murder verdict. A
similar concern arose in State v. Lotharp, 356 N.C. 420, 571 S.E.2d
583 (2002), where the defendant argued that the trial court should
have required that the jury be unanimous as to whether the deadly
weapon in a first degree sexual assault case was the knife or the
defendant's hands. In Lotharp, disjunctive instructions to the
jury had permitted the jury to choose between two alternative
instrumentalities as the deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
Our Supreme Court reversed this Court and adopted the dissenting
opinion of Judge Timmons-Goodson which noted:
The instructions clearly required the jury to
find that defendant assaulted the victim using
a deadly weapon, thereby inflicting serious
injury. Accordingly, there was no ambiguity
as to whether or not the jury unanimously
found each necessary element for the crime of
assault with a deadly weapon inflicting
serious injury . . . . Because the
instructions in the instant case allowed the
jury to convict defendant of a single wrong by
alternative means . . . the instructions were
not fatally ambiguous.
State v. Lotharp, 148 N.C. App. 435, 447, 559 S.E.2d 807, 814
(2002)(Timmons-Goodson, J., dissenting).
The reasoning of Lotharp is relevant to our inquiry in the
case before us. Only one underlying felony is required to support
a felony murder conviction, and in this case, the jury convicted
defendant of four separate felonies which could have served as the
underlying felony. As in Lotharp, "because the instructions in the
instant case allowed the jury to convict defendant of a single
wrong by alternative means . . . the instructions were not fatally
ambiguous." Id.
The remaining question is whether the trial court has the
discretion to select which felony conviction serves as the
underlying felony for purposes of the merger rule as it applies to
felony murder. In State v. Freeland, 316 N.C. 13, 340 S.E.2d 35
(1986), the defendant was convicted of first degree rape, first
degree sexual offense, and first degree kidnapping. The defendant
was separately sentenced for each offense; on appeal, the defendant
argued that this was a double jeopardy violation because the
defendant's rape or sexual assault conviction is a necessary
element of first degree kidnapping. In remanding the case for a
new sentencing hearing, our Supreme Court instructed the trial
court that it "may arrest judgment on the first degree kidnapping
conviction and resentence defendant for second degree kidnapping or
it may arrest judgment on one of the sexual assault convictions."
Id. at 24, 340 S.E.2d at 41. The Supreme Court thereby stated the
trial court in Freeland had discretion in sentencing to: (1) arrestjudgment on either of the sexual assault verdicts because one must
serve as an element of first degree kidnapping in order for the
verdict to stand or (2) to sentence defendant for second degree
kidnapping which does not require the element that the person
either was not released in a safe place or had been seriously
injured or assaulted. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-39 (2001).
Applying Freeland to the case before us, there are several
factors that show in this instance where no specific underlying
felony was noted in the jury instructions on felony murder, and
where there are multiple felony convictions which could serve as
the underlying felony for purposes of the felony murder conviction,
it is in the discretion of the trial court as to which felony will
serve as the underlying felony for purposes of sentencing. This is
a rare circumstance where armed robbery and attempted armed robbery
are both classified as Class D felonies for purposes of sentencing.
See, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-87 (2001). Accordingly, the trial court
did not err in arresting judgment on defendant's attempted armed
robbery conviction and in sentencing defendant for three armed
robbery convictions. This assignment of error is overruled.
VI.
[6] In defendant's final assignment of error, he argues that
the trial court erred in entering judgment and sentencing him to
life imprisonment without parole because the indictment was
insufficient to sustain the first degree murder verdict and
sentence. He maintains the trial court violated his federal and
State constitutional rights under U.S. Const. amends. V, VI, XIVand N.C. Const. art. I, §§ 19, 22, and 23.
This issue has been decided by our Supreme Court which has
consistently held that the "short-form indictment is sufficient to
charge a defendant with first-degree murder."
State v. Barden, 356
N.C. 316, 384, 572 S.E.2d 108, 150 (2002),
cert. denied, ___ U.S.
___, 155 L. Ed. 2d 1074 (2003). "The short-form murder indictment
authorized by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15-144 (2001) gives a defendant
notice that he is charged with first-degree murder and that the
maximum penalty to which he could be subject is death."
State v.
Smith, 152 N.C. App. 29, 34, 566 S.E.2d 793, 797,
cert. denied, 356
N.C. 311, 571 S.E.2d 208 (2002). This Court is bound by the
decisions of our Supreme Court; therefore, these assignments of
error are overruled.
Defendant has failed to present any argument in support of his
remaining assignments of error and they are thus deemed abandoned.
N.C.R. App. P. 28(b)(6).
This Court notes that on the "Judgment/Order or Other
Disposition" form completed by the trial court, the verdict for the
attempted armed robbery of Timothy Lollis, file number 99CRS31141
was marked as "not guilty," which is contrary to the verdict issued
by the jury. This case is therefore remanded to correct a clerical
error on the form.
No error in trial. Remand for correction of clerical error.
Judges HUNTER and CALABRIA concur.
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